Fic: Unexpected Visitors (Howl's Moving Castle/Stargate)
Title: Unexpected Visitors
Author: Pepper
Rating: G
Wordcount: 889
Featured Character(s): SG-1, Sophie Hatter
Pairing(s): None
Summary: Sophie was just about to set a kettle on to boil when Calcifer roared up from the fireplace, yelling, "Sophie! Sophie! Someone's coming!"
A/N: For sg_fignewton's Gen Fic Day and Alphabet Soup. So sorry it's late, Fig!
This is a crossover of Stargate and Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones.
---
Sophie was just about to set a kettle on to boil when Calcifer roared up from the fireplace, yelling, "Sophie! Sophie! Someone's coming!"
"Oh, bother," said Sophie, crossly. "Keep your hair on." She'd only just managed to keep out of Calcifer's way, and even then, he'd managed to singe the edge of her skirt. She eyed the front door, which was rattling in an impossible wind. If Calcifer was worried, then she needed to be, too. "What kind of someo-" was as far as she got before the door blew open, and four figures blasted into the room, tumbling to the floor like thrown ragdolls.
"Calcifer! Where did they come from?" she demanded, backing towards the nook beside the fireplace, holding on tightly to the kettle. With all the wards that Howl and Calcifer had put on the door, no one ought to be able to come through it. And if they were that powerful, the spells that Howl had been teaching her would be better than a kettle - even her good iron one. Still, it was reassuringly heavy.
"I don't know! It felt like that wet place Howl goes to, but different," he hissed, leaning out of the fireplace to get a better view. Sophie edged sideways to look through the door, but all she could see was a wall of grey mist.
Howl's home.
The people on the floor were dressed in identical green - like a uniform, only scruffier. One was from the Sultanates and held a wizard's staff, and one was a woman. The oldest, a grey-haired man, groaned. "Carter, what the hell...?" he said, in a strange accent. It didn't sound like Howl or any of Howl's family who lived through the mist. The man opened his eyes, and immediately saw Sophie. He sat up quickly. "Uh, hey. Hi."
"Hello," said Sophie. It was as good a place to start as any, she supposed. Calcifer had dropped back down and was pretending to be a real fire, as he always did when there were strangers around.
The man poked the nearest body, a younger man with brown hair. "Ah, ow, that was-"
"We've got company," said the grey-haired man, tersely.
The wizard sat up, and stirred the woman with the end of his staff. She opened her eyes and was on her feet in a moment, hands going to the strange, black object slung around her neck. She was tall, blonde, very pretty, and sharp-eyed. She looked around the room, and frowned. "Sir, I don't think this is PY8 93J."
"No kidding," grumbled the grey-haired man, sticking his hand out for someone to help him up. The wizard obliged. "Planets don't usually look like a mediaeval living room, in my experience. Daniel, you wanna do the whole 'peaceful travellers' thing...?"
Daniel - the brown-haired man - stepped forward, holding out his hands. Sophie took a firmer grip on the kettle. "Um, hi, hello, my name is Daniel Jackson, do you speak English?"
Sophie frowned at him. "I don't know," she said, cautiously. "What's English?"
"Um... never mind," said Daniel.
"How did you get in?"
Daniel followed her gaze to the door behind them. "Well, we came through the Stargate..." he began - and then stopped, blinking at the open door. "Um. Which should be... right there. What's..." He wandered closer, putting his hand out towards the mist. It would feel, as Sophie knew, exactly like nothing. "Huh."
The woman walked over to join him. "Sir, I don't know what this is," she said, looking back at the grey-haired man, "but it's not the wormhole. Not the usual one, anyhow."
"Okay, no one walk through it," ordered the grey-haired man.
Sam pushed Daniel back and closed the door, stepping back to look at the walls on either side and above the frame, as if expecting to find something. Then she opened the door again. "What the-?"
She must have turned the doorknob so that the purple mark was at the bottom, Sophie noted, as she peered past them and saw the vast flower meadow that had once been a Wasteland. The castle drifted along a few feet above the ground, as usual, and Sophie could see the soft white and pink marsh flowers as the castle brushed gently through them, their strong perfume already creeping into the room.
The woman quickly closed the door, looked at the back of it, and then opened it again. This time she'd turned it yellow side down, and Sophie could see the familiar street of her home in Market Chipping.
"How..." Daniel pushed past the woman to lean out of the door and look back at the house. "It's just a house. How did-"
The woman was already examining the door.
"Later," said the gray-haired man, to Sophie's relief. "Priorities, okay?"
"Yes, sir," sighed the woman, obviously itching to work out the puzzle.
They seemed reasonably friendly, at least, despite their nosiness. Sophie turned to the wizard, who stood staring down at Calcifer. Sophie wondered if he was able to see the sharp features and glowing-coal eyes of the fire demon. "Sir wizard," said Sophie, bowing her head, "would you and your companions like to sit for a while and have a cup of tea? I have a feeling this is going to take some time to sort out."
---
END (for now?)
Author: Pepper
Rating: G
Wordcount: 889
Featured Character(s): SG-1, Sophie Hatter
Pairing(s): None
Summary: Sophie was just about to set a kettle on to boil when Calcifer roared up from the fireplace, yelling, "Sophie! Sophie! Someone's coming!"
A/N: For sg_fignewton's Gen Fic Day and Alphabet Soup. So sorry it's late, Fig!
This is a crossover of Stargate and Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones.
---
Sophie was just about to set a kettle on to boil when Calcifer roared up from the fireplace, yelling, "Sophie! Sophie! Someone's coming!"
"Oh, bother," said Sophie, crossly. "Keep your hair on." She'd only just managed to keep out of Calcifer's way, and even then, he'd managed to singe the edge of her skirt. She eyed the front door, which was rattling in an impossible wind. If Calcifer was worried, then she needed to be, too. "What kind of someo-" was as far as she got before the door blew open, and four figures blasted into the room, tumbling to the floor like thrown ragdolls.
"Calcifer! Where did they come from?" she demanded, backing towards the nook beside the fireplace, holding on tightly to the kettle. With all the wards that Howl and Calcifer had put on the door, no one ought to be able to come through it. And if they were that powerful, the spells that Howl had been teaching her would be better than a kettle - even her good iron one. Still, it was reassuringly heavy.
"I don't know! It felt like that wet place Howl goes to, but different," he hissed, leaning out of the fireplace to get a better view. Sophie edged sideways to look through the door, but all she could see was a wall of grey mist.
Howl's home.
The people on the floor were dressed in identical green - like a uniform, only scruffier. One was from the Sultanates and held a wizard's staff, and one was a woman. The oldest, a grey-haired man, groaned. "Carter, what the hell...?" he said, in a strange accent. It didn't sound like Howl or any of Howl's family who lived through the mist. The man opened his eyes, and immediately saw Sophie. He sat up quickly. "Uh, hey. Hi."
"Hello," said Sophie. It was as good a place to start as any, she supposed. Calcifer had dropped back down and was pretending to be a real fire, as he always did when there were strangers around.
The man poked the nearest body, a younger man with brown hair. "Ah, ow, that was-"
"We've got company," said the grey-haired man, tersely.
The wizard sat up, and stirred the woman with the end of his staff. She opened her eyes and was on her feet in a moment, hands going to the strange, black object slung around her neck. She was tall, blonde, very pretty, and sharp-eyed. She looked around the room, and frowned. "Sir, I don't think this is PY8 93J."
"No kidding," grumbled the grey-haired man, sticking his hand out for someone to help him up. The wizard obliged. "Planets don't usually look like a mediaeval living room, in my experience. Daniel, you wanna do the whole 'peaceful travellers' thing...?"
Daniel - the brown-haired man - stepped forward, holding out his hands. Sophie took a firmer grip on the kettle. "Um, hi, hello, my name is Daniel Jackson, do you speak English?"
Sophie frowned at him. "I don't know," she said, cautiously. "What's English?"
"Um... never mind," said Daniel.
"How did you get in?"
Daniel followed her gaze to the door behind them. "Well, we came through the Stargate..." he began - and then stopped, blinking at the open door. "Um. Which should be... right there. What's..." He wandered closer, putting his hand out towards the mist. It would feel, as Sophie knew, exactly like nothing. "Huh."
The woman walked over to join him. "Sir, I don't know what this is," she said, looking back at the grey-haired man, "but it's not the wormhole. Not the usual one, anyhow."
"Okay, no one walk through it," ordered the grey-haired man.
Sam pushed Daniel back and closed the door, stepping back to look at the walls on either side and above the frame, as if expecting to find something. Then she opened the door again. "What the-?"
She must have turned the doorknob so that the purple mark was at the bottom, Sophie noted, as she peered past them and saw the vast flower meadow that had once been a Wasteland. The castle drifted along a few feet above the ground, as usual, and Sophie could see the soft white and pink marsh flowers as the castle brushed gently through them, their strong perfume already creeping into the room.
The woman quickly closed the door, looked at the back of it, and then opened it again. This time she'd turned it yellow side down, and Sophie could see the familiar street of her home in Market Chipping.
"How..." Daniel pushed past the woman to lean out of the door and look back at the house. "It's just a house. How did-"
The woman was already examining the door.
"Later," said the gray-haired man, to Sophie's relief. "Priorities, okay?"
"Yes, sir," sighed the woman, obviously itching to work out the puzzle.
They seemed reasonably friendly, at least, despite their nosiness. Sophie turned to the wizard, who stood staring down at Calcifer. Sophie wondered if he was able to see the sharp features and glowing-coal eyes of the fire demon. "Sir wizard," said Sophie, bowing her head, "would you and your companions like to sit for a while and have a cup of tea? I have a feeling this is going to take some time to sort out."
---
END (for now?)